Despite finishing level on points, here’s why Poland qualified for World Cup Round of 16 ahead of Mexico
When the referee blew the final whistle in the game between Poland and Argentina, the Polish players were still unsure if they were qualifying or not, given the Mexico-Saudi Arabia game was ongoing. At one stage, Poland and Mexico were only separated by the number of yellow cards they had collected in the group stage — Poland had five compared to Mexico’s seven — and coach Michniewicz was desperately urging his team to not give away fouls in the final minutes.
A stoppage-time goal by Saudi Arabia meant their match finished 2-1 in favor of Mexico at Lusail Stadium, whose goal difference was inferior by one to Poland.
Hence, Poland, despite losing to Argentina, ended up as the happier side on the night because the team went through as the group’s second-place team — on goal difference ahead of Mexico.
According to the governing body’s guidelines for the World Cup, there are various criteria to determine which team will progress into the knockout rounds.
1. Points: The first way is the team with the highest number of points. Each nation gets three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a defeat. In the event of two or more teams end the group stage with the same points, then the authorities will look at the second rule, which is the goal difference.
2. Goal difference: If the teams are level on points, the one with a superior goal difference – the total of goals scored minus goals conceded – will go through. The last team to face the consequences was Portugal in 2014 when they finished behind the US for second place in their group.
If nothing separates the teams after rules 1 and 2, the third criterion will be looked at.
3. Goals scored: This rule was most famously enforced in 1982, when Italy and Cameroon were locked on points and goal difference, but the European side advanced because they had scored one more goal. Italy went on to win that World Cup. Another memorable instance was in 1994, when Mexico, Ireland, Italy and Norway finished with the same number of points (4 each) and goal difference (0). Mexico won that group because they scored more goals (3) than the rest.
4. Head-to-head: If the teams are tied after the first three rules, the next step will be to look at the points total in the head-to-head matches between the teams involved. Three things are looked at here (in this order): points won in head-to-head matches, goal difference and goals scored. The team with a superior record will advance.
5. Fair play record: If the teams still can’t be separated, then the fair play record is looked at. Each team is given a ‘conduct score’, wherein a point is deducted for each yellow card they receive, two points for a red card received after two bookings and four points for a straight red. The team with a lower score progresses into the knockout round. At the 2018 World Cup, Japan edged out Senegal based on this rule. The two teams could not be separated on any of the above criteria. Japan’s fair play score of -4 was better than Senegal’s, who tallied -6.
Belgium’s golden generation, Germany’s gen next seek to avoid humiliation
When journeyman Niklas Fullkrug came on to score a decisive equaliser against Spain to earn them a 1-1 draw on Sunday, German football fans all over the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. His goal was not an act of heroism. He simply kept them in the running to avoid another humiliating World Cup elimination. A must win match awaits them against Costa Rica on Thursday, as it does Belgium’s ‘golden generaton’ against Croatia. Roberto Martinez’s side have had a terrible World Cup, failing to create much in their opening two games, their star man calling them “too old” to win the tournament, reports of a dressing room bust up emerging, and crashing 2-0 to Morocco. A win, and only a win, will be enough for them. (READ)
German players react after Costa Rica scored during the World Cup group E soccer match between Costa Rica and Germany at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor , Qatar, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Germany got the result they needed, but it was not enough.
On the face of their World Cup though, they did not set the stage alight. They were brilliant in phases in their matches, but looked feeble and vulnerable in others. A disappointing tournament.
Costa Rica were spirited today, even leading at one stage. But ultimately did not have enough qulity to go through here.
Extraordinary drama. Another night of unmissable sporting theatre.
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Unreal scenes.
Japan have won and go through as group toppers. Spain finish second over Germany on goal difference.
A second consecutive group stage elimination for Die Mannschaft.
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Not much to play for them anymore.
Germany (Musiala) still threatnening.
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Spain still trail 1-2 to Japan, which would see Flick's side knocked out.
Another dramatic night of World Cup football.
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After a very long check, Sane is adjudged onside. Costa Rica seem out of it now.
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Fullkrug has the ball in the net, but Sane was offside in the buildup.
VAR check.
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Havertz nearly gets a hattrick.
Great run and finish, Navas equal to it this time. Gotze's headed rebpund was tame.
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It's Havertz again!
Brilliant delivery from Gnabry, Havertz's brilliant run and composed finish puts the Germans ahead. They need help from Spain now.
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Another brilliant run.
Received the ball on the edge of the box, cut in with great strength, skill and balance, but skied his chance.
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Mattarrita breaks with the ball, and past Klostermann, before putting a good ball in but Rudiger is there.
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Bennett breaks with the ball on the transition and Rudiger mops up.
Costa Rica are still a threat.
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Germany are on the front foot now.
Havertz has been brilliant at finding space on the transition and is creating chances. Even if they get over the line here, they will need help from elsewhere.
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Incredible.
Fullkrug has missed an absolute sitter!
Great save from Navas, brilliant play from Havertz and Sane to set up the chance. He has to score...
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Frantic scenes that are hard to describe.
Costa Rica's goal came from a total defensive blunder, a wide free kick not dealt with, Neuer unsure when he came out for it and conceded a cheap one.
German equaliser was a brilliant finish. Latched onto a broken ball with a good first touch, and hits his finish into the floor to get it over the goalkeeper.
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Havertz scores!
Spanish fans can breathe a sigh of relief.
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These are simply unbelievable scenes.
As things stand, Japan and Costa Rica are through to the knockouts.
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The impossible is happening here!
Vargas puts Costa Rica ahead.
That will knock out Spain too !
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Off the woodwork again!
He's been at it all night, this time coming deep to receive the ball and striking one from range.
What an individual performance this has been from Musiala.
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Germany maintaining their attacking philosphy of slow possession and chance creation from width.
A brilliant cross from Raum this time, and nobody at the end of it.
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Musiala with another outstanding run, plays in Muller who forces a crucial block.
Moments later, Kimmich's ball is nearly met by Rudiger, totally scuffing the chance.
Theatre.
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Deserves a goal for all his brilliance today.
A brilliant drive and he shoots from a tight angle before just missing out, hitting the inside of the right post.
This is brilliant drama.
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Simply extraordinary scenes!
Tejeda has equalised for Costa Rica.
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The hero from the game against Spain is on. Germans are desperate, clearly.
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Tanaka has made it 2-1.
As things stand, Japan top the group, Spain are second on goal difference, Germany are out.
Tournament football...
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A half chance as Oviedo breaks on the counterattack, and a good cross that came into the area is cleared.
Some sustained possession in and around the German box is eventually mopped up. But every time the ball breaks, Flick's side look vulnerable.
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Ritsu Doan has put them level against La Roja.
Germany now need to score more goals. As things stand, Japana and Germany have identical records, meaning Japan are through on head-to-head.
News should make it to the players soon enough.
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Germany's best player, by far, in that half as well as the rest of the tournament.
A modern-day forward, Musiala is an expert at getting in between the lines and creating space. Another wonderful surge nearly saw him get past another number of defenders before getting knicked off the ball.
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Germany look to manage this game despite the scare at the end of the first half.
Klostermann is on for Goretzka, meaning he will move to right back and Kimmich will operate centrally.
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'Serge [Gnabry] has come here to play games but he just hasn't been for me, at the moment, at that level to play the games.' West Brom manager Tony Pulis’s view about the 20-year old Gantry in 2015, after letting him go.
How things have changed. A flurry of goals at Bundesliga for years and now, at the world cup. A simple header to kick off Germany, but there would be couple more chances he created though couldn’t finish. Shortly before half-time, he tried a curler into the right post but he just couldn’t bend it back enough.
“You could knock me over with a feather,” Pulis would tell Sky Sports in 2020 after watching the amazing turnaoround of Gnabry. “I’m amazed. We had him at West Brom, we took him on loan and we could never get him fit. He even got taken off in an Under-21 game and he went back to Arsenal and they sold him on.
“He was a nice kid, I didn’t mind him at all and he’s really fulfilled his potential. When people show what they can really do and knuckle-down and become so good as he’s done it’s absolutely fantastic.”
In 2017, Gnabry became the second Bundesliga player to sign up for the Common Goal initiative: he donates at least one percent of his wages to NGO streetfootballworld.
'One per cent is not a huge figure but it can make a huge impact if we commit to it as a team,' Gnabry said. 'I want to make giving back a part of football and help football feel good about itself again. I want to change the game for good.”
We have seen this script before.
Germany were brilliant, incisive, and inventive on the ball. They looked comfortable for most of the half and created enough to be 2 or 3 up, but at the death of that half, their Achillies Heel became prominent - they made one too many lapses at the back.
If they don't remain switched on at the back, and also kill the game with their chances going forward, it could be a repeat of the game against Japan.
Cautious reminder for Flick's side to stay focused on the goal at hand. As things stand, they go through.
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Sule this time. Casual.
A tame cross comes in to which the defender just flails his left foot, botching the clearance but Venegas was not alive to take advantage.
Moments later, Sane opened up space with great skill, his long ranger skied though.
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Totally against the run of play.
Germany on the verge of digging their own grave again, two mistakes form Raum and Rudiger breaks the ball cleanly for Fuller, whose shot needed a Neuer save.
The Germans have let their opponents back into the game.
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The sound at the Al Bayt Staidum is incredible as German fans rejoice in their team's performance. What an atmosphere!
Great chance for Gnabry as he gets a tough ball down and cuts onto his right foot before shooting a curler just wide.
For all the possession and attacking threat they have had, a single goal-lead seems forgiving to Costa Rica. They will want to make of their domination.
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Receives the ball at the edge of the box, gets goal side on the half turn, beating a few players before getting a shot off which went wide.
He is really looking extra threatening today.
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A few of those well-hit crosses have come from the right channel, Kimmich, normally a central midfielder, is getting high and seeing a lot of the ball on the wing. Only a matter of time before he creates or scores a goal given the space. His long ranger needed a strong save from Navas.
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Normally operating off the left, he has moved central and charged on to each of the long balls and second balls to get in behind Germany's defence.
He looks like their only forward threat, and they need to get the ball to him in more advanced positions.
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Germany very assured in possession, very patient in their build up, and looking like much the better side.
They have been here before though. Much of the first half against Japan played out this way, so they will likely go for the jugular by taking a few of these chances they are making.
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The ball breaks to Gnabry down the left, he plays in Musiala, who drags in a few defenders before playing it to Sane, whose brilliant through ball goes back to Gnabry before the shot is cleared.
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Good game management from this team, looking to get on the ball, take the sting out of Germany's quick possession, and maybe even get in behind their high defensive line.
They will need to be more expansive now.
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For all the deeper analysis that is possible here, this is just a show of creative superiority.Costa Rica seem like they have frozen at the back with some brilliant touches, passes, and crosses coming into their area. Kimmich's ball is met by a Goretzka header, and Navas' intervention was needed.
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Mihir Vasavda: There were questions raised over Germany's team selection after Hansi Flick dropped their hero of the last match, Fullkrug, on the bench. There were doubts over who'll be their goal-scoring outlet. It's taken Serge Gnabry 10 minutes to answer that question - heading in a cross from David Raum; simple goal really. Spain open the scoring almost simultaneously so as things stand, both Spain and Germany are headed into the Round of 16.
Gnabry!
Moved into the box after getting involved in the buildup. Raum is free on the left wing, puts a well-hit cross right onto his head, his glancing header tucks into the bottom left cornern.
The goal has been coming.
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That Kimmich change to right back making a lot of sense, picking a peach of a cross into Muller's path, whose diving header goes wide.
Moments earlier, we nearly saw one of the great World Cup moments.
Musiala used his strength to shrug a defender off and get the ball in the area, and he waved and moved his way through more than four opposition challenges before failing to get his shot off. That move got the entier crowd on its feet.
Germany looking full of intent.
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Sane plays a great give and go with Musiala, finding space and striking one across the face of goal.
Offside, but another promising early sign.
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Ormising start for Germany, as Musiala finds space in between the lines, makes a yard, and sees his solid shot from the edge of the box saved by Navas.
The subsequent corner was tame. But a good early sign.
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A very crucial 90 minutes of football for the German national team.
Their opening-game defeat to Japan came as a result of a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal, poor substitutions that conceded control, and poor defending on the counterattack. All mistakes that can be corrected.
More concerning, however, was their lack of balance and control in both their games so far. No surprise Flick has made tactical and personnel changes for the second consecutive game. They need a dominant, assured performance today.
Costa Rica have a chance, even if it's slim, to make it through. Expect them to sit deep and maybe try their luck by playing for a draw. A game of intrigue, and high stakes.
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Germany, for all their history of efficient success, have looked tame in yet another international tournament. So tame that since lifting the World Cup in 2014, they have only won one match in 5 at the showcase tournament, and risk getting knocked out at the group stage for the second consecutive edition for the very first time. After the 2018 World Cup debacle, they struggled to make it out of their group at last year’s Euros, and have been similarly indifferent this year. (READ MORE)
All Group E teams barring Spain need to go for the win unless they depend on results elsewhere. Germany need to depend on those even with the result going their way.
Prepare for another night of frantic tournament football action.
Costa Rica may have shipped 7 aganst Spain, but they looked very assured at the back against Japan. Able to get numbers behind the balla and defend deep with composure, this is far from an easy test for a German side that has not been ruthless in front of goal so far. Will they be equal to it?
Mihir Vasavda: France’s Stephanie Frappart, officiating in the Germany-Costa Rica match, is the first woman to referee a match at the men’s World Cup. It's another feather in the cap of the 38-year-old, who has an impressive list of firsts: in 2019, she became the first female referee to officiate in a French top-division match. Then, in August of that year, she was the first to take charge of a major European club match - the Super Cup tie between Liverpool and Chelsea - and in 2020, she was the first to be a referee in the men’s Champions League match. In Qatar, Frappart became the first female official to be in charge at a men’s World Cup match, when she assumed the role of the fourth official during the Mexico-Poland match.
There had been debate over whether or not playing Kimmich at right back, to get the most out of attacking situations and an extra body in midfield while trailing back, would be the best use of this team. In the current lineup, it seems that is Germany's set up today.
They've gone very attacking, with the return of Leroy Sane boosting them, as expected given the must-win nature of this game.
Costa Rica: Navas, Duarte, Waston, Vargas, Fuller, Borges, Tejeda, Oviedo, Aguilera, Campbell, Venegas
Germany: Neuer, Kimmich, Sule, Rudiger, Raum, Gundogan,Goretzka, Gnabry, Musiala, Sane, Muller
Niclas Füllkrug takes his time to gather traction. The German No 9, had told sportbuzzer.de soon after starting out in the Bundesliga top tier at age 24 that: “I knew I wasn’t immediately going to tear up the Bundesliga like Aubameyang or a Lewandowski. For me the goal was always to play in the Bundesliga again, because I feel that I belong here.” The man could bide his time.
Oh and he could tear up opponents, and this year the league too, having slotted in a maximum 10, the most for anyone ahead the unseasonal World Cup. Spain had taken the lead through their own substitute, Alvaro Morata to go up 1-0. Füllkrug though, would cause some serious confusion in the Spanish defense, like the rustling of dry leaves at the coming of the storm, and follow it with a crunching strike from close range after the ball landed right at his feet.
Two first-half goals set Morocco on their way to top place in World Cup Group F but they had to hold on for a 2-1 win over Canada at the Al Thumama Stadium on Thursday after conceding an own goal that kept them nervous through the second half.
Croatia reached the last 16 at the World Cup after a tension-filled 0-0 draw with Belgium on Thursday that ensured the last hurrah of the Belgian 'golden generation' ended in a dismal group-stage exit. Roberto Martinez's side, ranked second in the world and semi-finalists four years ago, needed a win at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium to keep their hopes alive but could not break down the Croats who finished as Group F runners up behind Morocco.
Costa Rica: Navas; Fuller, Duarte, Waston, Chacon, Oviedo; Torres, Borges, Tejeda, Campbell; Contreras.
Germany: Neuer; Kehrer, Sule, Rudiger, Raum; Gundogan, Kimmich; Gnabry, Musiala, Sane; Fullkrug.
Even as Morocco stunned the football world with their 2-0 win over Belgium, their prized defender Achraf Hakimi, who has played for PSG alongside Leo Messi, ran towards the sidelines to meet his mother, who was wearing the Moroccan flag. She would plant a kiss on his cheeks, and he would kiss her forehead. He would remove his jersey and give her. The heartwarming picture went viral. (READ MORE)
I can’t even imagine that we would top the group. Of course I trust my team - it’s not just a team, its my family. We work hard a lot, we have lots of problems and we work hard. Everyday we are together.
I don’t have words to describe the support for the team. They support every time. I don’t want to say but Thank you so much. We will keep going!
Next up, we have Germany taking on Costa Rica in a must-win Group E game from the al Bayt Stadium. The Germans have had a torrid World Cup thus far, losing to Japan and drawing 1-1 against Spain, putting them right on the edge of consecutive Group stage exits.